The present invention relates to an examination system which oozes bodily fluids on skin surface and collects the oozed fluids, then examines the fluids with a sensor.
When blood sugar is examined in a conventional manner, an oozing device for bodily fluids such as a lancet is used for pricking skin in order to have the bodily fluids ooze there. Then an examination device for bodily fluids is applied there to collect specimen. This process requires numbers of operations before the examination is completed, and thus an automated examination system which sequentially carries out these operations is demanded.
One of the automated examination systems is disclosed in the Japanese Patent Application Non-examined Publication No. H10-33508. This system includes a tightening belt into which a finger is inserted, a needle for pricking the finger tip, and a sensor disposed nearby the needle. After being pricked with the needle, the finger is tightened with the belt so that bodily fluids ooze and contact with the sensor.
However, when the bodily fluids ooze over the skin surface, the fluids sometimes does not reach to the sensor, and this system thus cannot carry out the examination.
Further, because the bodily fluids are vaporized to a degree before they reach to the sensor, a precise examination is not expected particularly when the bodily fluids oozed are in a little quantity.
The present invention addresses the problems discussed above, and aims to provide an examination system for bodily fluids. This system of the present invention can supply the bodily fluids free from errors to a specimen collector of a sensor, even when the bodily fluids oozed by the examination system are in a little quantity.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an examination system for bodily fluids, and which suppresses evaporation from the bodily fluids oozed so that the examination can produce a precise result.
An examination system of the present invention aims to solve the problems discussed above and comprises the following elements:
a vessel-like examination unit having an opening in front;
decompressing means for decompressing the inside of the unit; and
a specimen collector provided in the unit and facing the opening.
The present invention also provides an examination system which includes a bodily-fluids-oozing-device in the unit discussed above.
The present invention provides another examination system which comprises the following elements:
a vessel-like examination unit having an opening in front;
humidifying means for humidifying the inside of the unit;
a bodily-fluids-oozing-device; and
a specimen collector provided in the unit and facing the opening.
The present invention further provides an examination system which includes decompressing means facing the opening in the examination unit.
The specimen collector preferably incorporates with a sensor, and a specimen-supplying-outlet of the device in the unit preferably faces the opening.
The present invention still further provides an examination system which comprises the following elements:
a vessel-like examination unit having an opening in front;
decompressing means for decompresses the unit;
decompress releasing means for restoring a decompressed unit to atmospheric pressure;
a bodily-fluids-oozing-device;
a specimen collector provided in the unit and facing the opening;
a sensor having an electrode system for contacting with the specimen supplied from the specimen collector and outputting information about the specimen as an electric signal from the electrode system;
determining means for determining a measured value with the electric signal; and
a controller for controlling the decompressing means, decompress-releasing-means and sensor.
This examination system allows the decompress-releasing-means to function after the sensor outputs an electric signal. It is preferable for this system that the decompressing means functions after the bodily-fluids-oozing-device functions as well as the decompress-releasing-means functions after the sensor outputs an electric signal.
The present invention yet provides another examination system which comprises the following elements:
a vessel-like unit having an opening in front;
humidifying means for humidifying the inside of the unit;
decompressing means for decompressing the inside of the unit;
decompress releasing means for restoring a decompressed condition to atmospheric pressure;
a bodily-fluids-oozing-device;
a specimen collector provided in the unit and facing the opening;
a sensor having an electrode system for contacting with the specimen supplied from the specimen collector and outputting information about the specimen as an electric signal from the electrode system;
determining means for determining a measured value with the electric signal; and
a controller for controlling the humidifying means, decompressing means, decompress-releasing-means and sensor.
This examination system allows the bodily-fluids-oozing-device to function after the humidifying means functions as well as the decompress-releasing-means to function after the oozing device functions, and the decompress-releasing-means to function after the sensor outputs an electric signal.
The examination systems discussed above produce the following advantages:
In one of the embodiments of the systems, urge the opening of unit against skinxe2x80x94from which bodily fluids are to be suckedxe2x80x94thereby blocking up the opening, then have the decompressing means decompress the inside of the unit for rising the skin within the opening so that the bodily fluids can be supplied to the specimen collector with ease.
The bodily-fluids-oozing-device, which oozes bodily fluids from the skin, can be arranged in the examination unit so that the opening of the unit faces the oozing device, whereby a series of operations such as oozing and sucking bodily fluids can be sequentially carried out.
In another embodiment of the systems, urge the opening of unit against skinxe2x80x94from which bodily fluids are to be suckedxe2x80x94thereby blocking up the opening, then have the humidifying means humidify the inside of the unit. This prevents the bodily fluids oozed by the bodily-fluids-oozing-device from being vaporized. The oozing device is disposed in the unit so that the evaporation can be effectively suppressed.
When the inside of the unit is decompressed, the bodily fluids are subject to evaporation, this system thus allows the humidifying means to work before the decompressing means starts to work in order to humidify the inside of the unit in advance.
As the humidifying means, e.g. a water bowlxe2x80x94having a heater or an ultrasonic-wave-generator on the bottomxe2x80x94can be used. The upper section of the bowl communicates with the examination unit so that vapor produced from the water in the bowl flows into the unit, in particular, into the openingside.
A fan disposed at the communicating section between the unit and the bowl can efficiently run the vapor produced in the bowl into the unit.
When a humidity inside the unit rises so high, the inner wall of the unit and a surface of the sensor holder are sometimes dewed. If the dews drop onto the skin surface, the bodily fluids are thinned. This adversely affects the examination result. It is therefore preferable to dispose a humidity-sensor-probe in the unit for monitoring the humidity therein when bodily, fluids are examined. Considering an effective prevention against the evaporation, the humidity in the unit preferably ranges from 60 to 70%.
When a decompressing pump is used as the decompressing means, the inside of the unit is quickly decompressed so that the bodily fluids can be quickly supplied to the specimen collector.
Further, when decompress-releasing-means is disposed in the unit for restoring the decompressed condition inside the unit to atmospheric pressure, it prevents air from flowing rapidly into the unit at removing the unit from the skin after the examination. As a result, the bodily fluids are not scattered.
An operation program of the examination system can be set so that the decompress-releasing-means works at the same time on or with some delay of completing the examination. This can notify a user of weak eyes with a feeling of skin stretch that the user is still under the examination.